The newly elected members of Bhutan’s first parliament met for the first time on Thursday, marking another milestone in the tiny Himalayan nation’s transformation to democracy.
Addressing a joint sitting of both the houses at the new-look National Assembly hall, King Jigme Khesar Namgyal asked the members to uphold the principles of democracy.
“The historic session began at 8.30 am (0900 hrs IST) with His Majesty addressing members of both the National Assembly and National Council,” NA Secretary Nima Tshering said.
“There were some traditional offerings thereafter followed by vote of thanks by the Prime Minister, Leader of Opposition and NC Chairman,” Tshering said.
The session lasted till 1.00 pm before it was adjourned for the day. Tshering said the session will adopt Bhutan’s draft constitution.
